It takes Dee a while to get Chelcie out of the bathroom. She looks horrible and keeps sneaking glances at Asher. Dee takes one look into my eyes, and I know instantly that whatever the hell is going on with Chelcie is a lot bigger than a girl hung up on an ex-lover. She settles Chelcie into a chair on the other side of me and climbs back into my lap. Before she puts her head back down, she just looks into my eyes. I see what she’s saying. We’ll talk later, and I need to be prepared for this one. I nod my head and give her a kiss before she lays her head back down.
Dee’s back in my arms and we sit here, continuing to wait. I’ve been staring at the white bandage peeking out of the sleeve of the shirt she threw on before leaving the office. My mind can’t wrap around the fact that if it had just been a few inches in the other direction, she wouldn’t be sitting with me. I close my eyes when the images of her bleeding out on the floor become too much. As it is, I don’t think I will ever forget the picture of Coop lying there, Dee covered in more blood than the floor, working desperately to stop the blood flowing from his body.
I open my eyes when the images become too much, and loosen my tight hold on Dee when I hear her soft grunt. Shit. It takes every fiber in my body to turn the thoughts in my head back into the hopeful prayers that I’ve been repeating since we left the office.
****
Another two hours pass before the doctor finally comes to find us. His face is void of emotion when he addresses the room and asks for Zachariah Cooper’s family. Asher stands and walks over to the doctor with his back straight and his head high. The doctor speaks in low tones, but when Asher’s body starts heaving, and his head shakes rapidly, my heart sinks. I look over at the rest of my brothers as the realization of what news has just been delivered sinks in. Ash lets out a noise so painful, that if my heart hadn’t already split in two, it surely would have then. Dee slides off my lap without a word, and I stand, walking over to where the doctor is still speaking.
“…did everything we could but there was just too much damage.”
And just like that, Ash’s legs lose the power to hold him up, and I grab on as he unleashes his grief. I look over his head and meet Dee’s eyes. Her tears are coming fast and fierce, but she gives me a weak smile so that I know she is holding it together. There isn’t a single person in this room that hasn’t been touched by Coop in one way or another. None of us is able to hold in the pain that we are feeling, knowing that he didn’t make it.
Zachariah ‘Zeke’ Cooper died a hero. He was one of my best friends, my brother, and he died saving the life of not only my woman but Emmy as well.
Coop’s been gone for four days now.
Four days since I sat in the hospital and watched the strongest men I know break down.
And it’s been four days since Chelcie told me what’s been going on with her.
Pregnant. She’s pregnant, and Coop will never know that he’s going to be a father. That one time they shared may have been mutually no-strings, but now he’s gone, and there isn’t anything we can do to change that. I know she’s having a hard time with things. She and Coop might not have had any feelings for each other, but that doesn’t change the fact that there is a baby coming into this world that will never know his or her father. I think the hardest part for her right now is knowing that she never had a chance to even tell him.
I take a deep breath and continue to apply my make-up. Beck’s already dressed in his Dress Blues, and if it was for any other occasion, I might be able to appreciate how good looking he is. I’ve chosen a simple form-fitting black dress. The short cropped sleeves cover enough of my nasty healing wound from where the bullet grazed my arm. I grab a pair of black, four-inch heels before walking down the stairs and meeting Beck in the kitchen. I watch his back as he moves about fixing a cup of coffee. He’s holding his body tight, and I know that today is costing him emotionally.
After fixing his cup, he turns, picks up his white Barracks Cover, and leans back against the counter, just looking at his hat. I walk over and take his face in my hands. I don’t give him words. Right now, he doesn’t need them. I pull his head down and place a soft kiss against his lips. When I drop back down on my heels, I keep my palms against his cheeks. His eyes are closed, but a single tear spills from the corner and rolls onto my fingers. My heart is breaking for him right now, and I have no idea how to take some of the pain away.
“I love you.” I remind him, just as I have every single night for the last four days.